Curse Of Sekh
by Clare
Summary: I've just started this one, but it's going to involve MummRa invoking an ancient Curse in his quest to rid Third Earth of the Thundercats pre Thundercats Ho
1. Prologue

_Note: This story takes place just prior to the events of **Thundercats Ho!**_

**

Prologue

**

It was another typical day on Third Earth and the Black Pyramid was no exception. Once again, as he had done so often in the past, Mumm-Ra stood at his cauldron, his twisted mind focussed solely on coming up with a plan that would get those infernal Thundercats out of his life once and for all. True, everything he had tried so far - imprisoning them in the Pyramid, mind-control, even using his shapeshifting powers to pass himself off as a Thunderian - had backfired on him, but he was sure the solution to those feline thorns in the side was out there . . . somewhere.

"Ancient Spirits of Evil!" he intoned, raising his almost equally ancient arms in a gesture of evocation. "Come to the aid of Mumm-Ra! Show me the means to rid Third Earth of the Thundercats . . ." He paused at this point to let loose a brief evil cackle. " . . . forever!"

The clouds issuing from the cauldron glowed a brilliant red as the Ancient Spirits of Evil prepared to give their answer. Finally, after a few seconds had elapsed, a disembodied voice echoed through the chamber telling Mumm-Ra what he must do, that there was one spell that might work - the Curse of Sekh.

"But it will be difficult - and dangerous," the Spirits warned. "Before you cast it, you must assemble the following ingredients . . ."

Mumm-Ra leaned forward, eager to hear what he would be required to do in order to bring down the Curse of Sekh upon the Thundercats.

"A Wollo bracelet," the Spirits intoned as Mumm-Ra made a mental note to use this as a excuse to send the Mutants on a raid of the Wollo village.

"Good - anything else?"

"The second ingredient," the disembodied voice of the Spirits stated, "is the venom from a rare Golden Cobra."

Mumm-Ra noted this as well, grateful that he just happened to have a stash of Golden Cobra venom in his Pyramid, and began formulating plans for the rule of Darkness he would impose on Third Earth once he was finally rid of the Thundercats. But the Ancients Spirits of Evil were not through yet; there were still three more ingredients to be gathered before the Curse could be evoked.

"The third and fourth ingredients," the Spirits went on, "are water from the River of Despair and the tail hair from a unicorn . . ."

"All right, I get the idea!" Mumm-Ra snapped impatiently. "Then what do I do?"

"Bring the items here," replied the Spirits as the flames in Mumm-Ra's cauldron danced evilly. "But that will not be all - the fifth ingredient is the most vital of all. Without it, the Curse has no power."

"And what is the fifth ingredient?" Mumm-Ra demanded, feeling rather like he had the day he tried to free the sorceress Princess Ta-She from the Timewarp that had been her prison for millenia. For a brief moment, he believed he had succeeded, but those infernal Thundercats had shown up and ruined everything. It also turned out that Ta-She's Doomgaze, while capable of entrancing any male who looked her in the eye, had a major weakness - it didn't work on females.

Dismissing Ta-She from his mind, Mumm-Ra listened as the Ancient Spirits of Evil announced the fifth ingredient, the one that would make all the difference when he came to call down the Curse. "You must optain a drop of blood from a young female," they told him. "Capture the Thundercat girl named Wilykit and bring her here. Then, once all the other ingredients are in your cauldron, you must prick her finger and let the blood fall into the mixture. Afterwards, you may do what you like with her."

Mumm-Ra cackled evilly - he would do what he liked with Wilykit all right. In fact, he would do what he liked with all the Thundercats once the Curse of Sekh was unleashed. He found himself wondering what exactly it would do - he recalled hearing of the Curse back in the days on First Earth when he was training to be a sorceror, before the Ancient Spirits of Evil had corrupted him and turned him into the demonic figure he was now, but it hadn't been evoked for so long that none could remember what effect it had. Death? Mumm-Ra hoped so; ever since the Thundercats turned up on Third Earth, he had been looking for ways to crush them and it now looked like he would be able to do that with one fell swoop. Darkness? That would be even better - Third Earth plunged into eternal darkness with all its inhabitants living only to serve him.

He could already picture it: all the Warrior Maidens, Wollos, Bolkins and other insignificant races bonded to him as slaves for all eternity, the Mutants as his generals and himself at the top of the pile. Yes, life would be good with the Thundercats out of the way, he mused as he stood in the darkness of his Pyramid. In fact, he might even be able to achieve what he had so far failed to achieve, the destruction of the Eye of Thundera.

Possessing the Eye had been his dream since long before the Thundercats came, bringing with them their mystical Sword of Omens with the Eye of Thundera embedded in the hilt. But, after learning that the Sword could never be used for evil, he had been forced to change tactics and attempt instead to destroy the Eye's powers. Now, once the Curse of Sekh had taken care of those meddling Thundercats, he would finally have the chance to do just that - use ancient sorceries to put an end to the very symbol of the Thundercats' power. He knew from past experience that the Eye of Thundera was powerful, but everything had a weak spot, some kind of Achilles heel . . .

Soon, Mumm-Ra told himself, soon all of Third Earth would be under his command and the Thundercats would be nothing more than a bad memory. But, before he could hope to achieve those goals, he had to obtain the items needed in order to invoke the Curse of Sekh. And, to do that, he needed help from his allies from Plundarr - the Mutants were a considerable source of annoyance at times with their never-ending list of failures and incompetent bungling, but there were times when having them as minions was extremely useful.

Elsewhere on Third Earth, life went on as it usually did, with the many races that inhabited the planet going about their daily lives in the morning sun. The weather was sunny and warm, with only a few wispy clouds visible in the sky and many felt sure that today would be a good one. After the Thundercats and the Mutants arrived, Third Earth's native inhabitants had quickly found themselves caught up in the war between the two races and, although each tribe had allied itself with one of the two warring factions, that was the last thing on anyone's mind today. This was going to be a day that nothing could spoil.

Little did anyone suspect what Mumm-Ra planned to do. Little did they know that the Curse Of Sekh could soon threaten everything they cherished.

Before nightfall, all on Third Earth would be drawn into a life-or-death struggle to stop the evil that would shortly be unleashed . . .


	2. Chapter One

**

Chapter One

**

For the Thundercats, the day had also begun peacefully; nearly a week had passed since the Mutants had last caused them any trouble and they planned to make the most of the rare opportunity to do something other than battle their age-old enemies.

So it was that Lion-O, Tygra and Panthro could currently be found hard at work in the Thundrillium quarry stocking up on supplies of the mineral that had been their power source for countless generations. Thundrillium had been one of the most common minerals in existence on Thundera, so much so that all the planet's advanced technology ran on the stuff and there had never been any question of supplies running short as had been the case with those fuels the Thunderians had used before Thundrillium was discovered. In any case, the Thundercats could count themselves lucky to have landed on a planet with a decent supply . . .

"Think we've got enough?" asked Tygra as he loaded another slab into the back of the Thundertank.

Panthro, leaning against the Tank's engine, nodded with satisfaction. "If we take much more, we won't be able to close up the back," he observed. "Let's finish up and haul this lot back to the Lair."

It was just as the three Thundercats were about to leave the quarry and head back to the Lair that they were alerted by the all-too-familiar hum of a Sky-cutter being flown at low altitude. Lion-O, shielding his eyes with his hand, scanned the horizon in search of the offending Mutant craft. Sure enough, there were two of them, one piloted by S-s-slythe - whose long Reptilian tail meant he was easy to recognise even at a distance - the other piloted by Monkian. And they seemed to be . . .

"They're heading in the direction of the Wollo village!" Lion-O informed his two companions, his muscles tensing and his fingers instinctively gripping the Sword of Omens as he realised Mutants heading in that direction could mean only one thing . . .

Panthro felt the same way. "Rats!" he muttered, resisting the urge to use somewhat more colourful language. "Forget shipping Thundrillium," he told Tygra and Lion-O as all three climbed into the Thundertank. "Looks like we've got more important things to worry about . . ."

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With Panthro driving the Thundertank at full throttle, the three Thundercats reached the Wollo village to find themselves confronted by a scene of absolute chaos and devastation. S-s-slythe and Monkian had the Sky-cutters' lasers trained on the small community of simple dwarfish folk and seemed to be firing indiscrimately, taking pot shots at anything that moved. Down below, Wollos were shouting and milling around in confusion as they frantically tried to out-distance their attackers. Seeing their ancient enemies attacking a peaceful race who rarely resorted to violence soon galvanised the Thundercats into action . . .

"Lion-O, man the rear guns!" Panthro ordered as he swerved the Tank round in a three-point turn.

Lion-O did not need telling twice. As Tygra, seated beside Panthro, pressed the button that activated the guns, he took up position at the trigger, bracing himself to fire once either of the two Mutants came within range. "You two deal with any that come at us from the front!" he told Tygra and Panthro. "I'll defend us from the rear!"

It was a truly epic battle, the Thundertank versus two Mutant Sky-cutters, but something was making all three Thundercats uneasy. Something was not right about this; the way S-s-slythe and Monkian were moving made it appear almost as if they had wanted to be spotted, as if they were trying to create a diversion to draw the Thundercats away from something more important . . .

"Do either of you get the feeling something weird is going on around here?" asked Tygra as Monkian - whooping in anticipation - swooped down on them with his Sky-cutter.

"With Mutants, there's always something going on," Panthro said curtly. "What's your point exactly?"

Tygra aimed the front laser guns at Monkian's Sky-cutter and proceeded to fire two short blasts at the Mutant Craft, smiling with satisfaction as the Simian Mutant lost control of it and it went careering into the trees. "My point is," he told Panthro, "that the way they're behaving suggests they're only doing this to bait us. If you think about it, neither of them has fired a single shot at us - and that bothers me somehow . . ."

"He's right," Lion-O added as he turned round briefly to address his two companions. This sort of thing just wasn't what he - or any of the Thundercats - had come to expect from the Mutants; usually, in a battle between the two sides, the Mutants would throw everything they had at their enemies. Not that it ever did them much good - the Thundercats invariably outclassed them - but it was most unusual to see them moving in as if to attack and then pulling out at the last moment. And, if there were two Mutants attacking in Sky-cutters, there was usually a third launching a ground assault from the Nose-diver.

However, the Thundercats did not have time to speculate on this before the two Mutants - Monkian had reboarded his Sky-cutter - suddenly zoomed high into the air and headed in the direction of their base at Castle Plunn-darr. Lion-O fixed his gaze on the sky, watching as his enemies flew off into the distance; he was not about to let them get away with terrorising the Wollos. As Lord of the Thundercats, it was his duty to defend the weak and innocent and there was no way he was going to let this pass.

"They're getting away, Panthro," he informed the older Thundercat as the latter turned the Thundertank in the direction S-s-slythe and Monkian had headed.

"Not fast enough!" Panthro said as he jacked the Thundertank up a gear and prepared to give chase. But, before he could do so, a cry issued from behind him . . .

"Wait! Please, wait!"

--------------------------

The speaker was a young female Wollo with long brown hair. The Thundercats had met her at her wedding when they were returning from a terrifying adventure in Baron Karnor's Tower of Traps, a sinister building which Lion-O, Wilykat and Wilykit had barely escaped from with their lives. Indeed, she was the reason the Thunderkittens had ventured near Karnor's Tower in the first place - her father had been delivering her wedding gift, a gold bracelet with two entwined hearts, when the long-dead Robber Baron's living gargoyles intercepted him and "relieved" of it. Luckily, Wilykit had found the bracelet seconds after it was tossed onto a pile of loot accumululated over countless years . . .

Right now, the Wollo girl was clearly in some distress, so much so that Panthro couldn't help but pull the Thundetank over when he heard her cry out. "What is it, Dari?" he asked as he drew level with her and saw from the look in her eyes that something was definitely very wrong. Dari looked at the three Thundercats pleadingly, her hands clasped in front of her, making it immediately obvious that she was not wearing her gold bracelet - a bracelet she had never been without since her wedding day . . .

"My bracelet," she informed the Thundercats. "My bracelet has been stolen!" She held up the wrist on which she normally wore the bracelet to show them that it was now bare of all jewelery as Lion-O, Tygra and Panthro each asked themselves the same question: why? They had fairly good idea _who_ was behind the theft, but what could the Mutants hope to gain from stealing a Wollo bracelet?

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Tygra asked Dari as he climbed out of the Thundertank and stood beside Dari. Standing at half his height, the Wollo looked up at him with her large eyes and began to explain as fully as she could.

"It was that Mutant, Jackalman - he grabbed me as I was about to take shelter in my hut. I think the way the other two were flying about like that was just a diversion . . ." The Thundercats nodded and exchanged knowing glances at this point. " . . . so he could do what he was supposed to do. What that was I only realised when he . . . _forced_ my bracelet off . . ."

Hearing this, Lion-O gave a low growl; there were few things that angered him more than cowards who robbed the innocent - and Jackalman was well known for being the most craven out of all the Mutants. He would probably have taken off in the direction of Castle Plun-darr in a reckless bid to take on the Mutants single-handed and retrieve Dari's bracelet, had Tygra not restrained him.

"No, Lion-O - something tells me there's more to this than robbing a Wollo girl. We should get back to Cats' Lair and discuss this properly . . ."

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Jackalman held the stolen bracelet up so that the gold reflected the sun and cackled to himself as he thought of how easy it had been. True, that Wollo wench had given him a few kicks, but she was no match for him and it had only taken a moment's work to pin her down and yank the bracelet off her wrist.

"Like taking Candyfruit from a baby!" he gloated, hoping that all the tasks Mumm-Ra required before he could call forth this Curse of Sekh would be so easy. It had been good of S-s-slythe and Monkian to divert the Thundercats' attention while he rifled through every house in the Wollo village in search of the item Mumm-Ra had ordered the Mutants to find for the ritual that would call down the Curse. Why this included a piece of Wollo jewelry was beyond him, but he knew better than to question Mumm-Ra. In any case, he was too cowardly to even think of doing so . . .

He was still cackling to himself when his two companions swooped down in their Sky-cutters, both eager to hear that the raid had been successful and they could cross one item off their list. "Ooh ooh! Did you get it?" Monkian asked as he dismounted and walked over to join the Jackal Mutant. The "ooh ooh" sound he often made when he began to say something was a speech characteristic of his race, much the same as the elongated S sound of Reptilian speech, and - had any translator tried to put a meaning to it - they would have been unable to do so. It was simply something Monkey Mutants did . . .

"Yes, Monkian," Jackalman replied as, with an evil grin on his face, he held the bracelet up for the others to see. They gazed in wide-eyed awe at the beautiful object, both of them longing to swipe it for themselves but well aware that it was far too valuable for that. If Mumm-Ra caught them keeping back items they had stolen for _him_, there was no telling what he would do . . .

"Sssso," S-s-slythe hissed sibilantly as he took the bracelet from Jackalman and placed it in the leather pouch he was carrying round his neck, "that'ssss phasssse one, yesssss? Now to collect the other ingredientsssss. But we musssst be careful - the Thundercatssssss could already be onto ussss. . ."

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"Are you saying Dari's bracelet was the only thing the Mutants took?"

This question came from Cheetara as she sat with Snarf and the Thunderkittens listening to Lion-O's account of what had happened at the Wollo village. Her Sixth Sense had been driving her crazy lately; it was as if she knew something big was about to happen but was unable to tell what it was or when it would start. All she knew was that, unless the Thundercats could figure out what it was, Third Earth would be in serious trouble.

"Yes - and that's the strangest thing," Lion-O replied. "It's as if they went to the Wollo village with the specific aim of stealing a bracelet . . ." He broke off and furrowed his brow as he tried to consider the best course of action, how a Thundercat Lord would handle something as extraordinary as this. For, while the Mutants had looted and plundered even before their obsessive desire to steal the Eye of Thundera led them to pursue the Thundercats all the way to Third Earth, they would never be content with a single bracelet unless they needed it for a specific purpose.

"But what would they do a thing like that for?" Wilykit asked as she rested her elbows on the table and drummed her fingers together.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Tygra said wearily. He stood up and paced round the room as he struggled to collect his thoughts. "You all know as well as I do that this isn't their usual modus operandi - had they been after loot, they would have gotten away with a lot more than Dari's bracelet . . ."

All the while Tygra was speaking, Lion-O sat staring absently at the Sword of Omens, currently in its resting position with the Eye of Thundera reduced to a vertical slit. But, as he looked at the Sword which had helped the Thundercats through so many times of peril, he began to wonder if its Sight Beyond Sight power might be able to help solve at least some of this mystery. After all, it had worked on most other occasions; only rarely, as in their encounter with the ghost of the renegade Thundercat Grune, had it been known to fail. He drew the Sword and raised it so that the crossbar of its hilt was level with his eyes . . .

"Let's see if the Sword can shed any light on this," he told his companions. Then, in a clear commanding voice, he called out the words handed down through generations of Thundercat Lords that would activate the Sword and enable him to see what was happening. "Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!" he commanded. And, as if by magic, the Sword's crossbars began to curl upwards . . .

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As Lion-O stared through the Eye of Thundera, he saw the Mutants assembled before Mumm-Ra in the Black Pyramid, S-s-slythe in the process of presenting something to the evil mummy. And, had their voices been audible, this was the conversation Lion-O would have heard.

"Greetingssss, oh Mighty Mumm-Ra!" S-s-slythe said, trying his best to be civil in front of the unpredictable demon; all the Mutants knew from past experience that Mumm-Ra was someone you crossed at your peril. "Asss ordered, we have brought you a Wollo brassselet."

He held the bracelet up for Mumm-Ra to see and, looking through the Eye of Thundera, Lion-O immediately recognised it as Dari's. There was no mistaking the two entwined hearts stamped into the metal. Wilykit had identified the same bracelet by that very design when she found it among Baron Karnor's pile of loot.

"Good work," Mumm-Ra said, giving his minions a rare nod of approval. "But there are still more items to be collected before the Curse of Sekh can be invoked." He bent down and picked up a small bottle with a capacity of around half-a-litre that appeared to be made out of solid jade, holding it up for the Mutants to see. "This holds the venom of a rare Golden Cobra and should not be opened without reason - for one drop spilled reduces its effectiveness," he explained.

"And I suppose he wants us to go after a Golden Cobra next," Jackalman muttered under his breath as he gave S-s-slythe and Monkian a sly sneer.

"On the contrary!" Mumm-Ra snapped, pointing imperiously at the three Mutants. "I have all I need for our purposes right here in this bottle. However, I still require water from the River of Despair, the tail-hair of a unicorn and . . ." he paused to give an evil chuckle as he thought of the last ingredient. " . . . the blood of a young girl! You will collect those items and bring them to me here!"

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At this point the image in the Eye faded and the Sword's crossbars returned to their usual shape. Lion-O placed the Sword on the table and turned to his fellows, a grim expression etched into his face.

"The Mutants have taken Dari's bracelet to Mumm-Ra," he informed them. "And, from what I saw, they seem to be planning some sort of ritual . . ."

"Evil, I'll bet," Snarf cut in, huddling into a ball as if to avoid being hit by one of Mumm-Ra's blasts of energy. "Snarf, snarf!" He shuddered as he wondered what Mumm-Ra could be planning this time, what terrible dangers Lion-O - to whom he had been fiercely loyal throughout the Thundercat Lord's life - must face now. Despite the fact that Lion-O had been the only one of the Thundercats to age visably during their time in the suspension capsules en route to Third Earth - or maybe because of it - Snarf still had a hard time adjusting to the idea that he was now an adult.

"Yeah - figures," Panthro commented in a slight undertone as he and the other Thundercats turned to look at each other, each of them wondering the same thing - what was all this about? The Thundercats all knew only too well what was likely to happen if Mumm-Ra started performing rituals. These tended to involve summoning some ancient demon or monster to terrorise Third Earth and, since the Eye of Thundera was all that stood between Mumm-Ra and total domination, the Thundercats invariably found themselves in the firing line.

In the end, it was Tygra who broke the silence which followed. "We'd better find out what's going on," he told the others as he stood up to speak. "And soon - if Mumm-Ra is planning a ritual . . . well, let's just say it's not going to be any fun for us."


	3. Chapter Two

**

Chapter Two

**

The Thundercats wasted no time in deciding what needed to be done if they were to have any hope of finding out what their age-old enemies were plotting. "If we're going to defeat whatever they've got planned, we'll need to be prepared," Tygra explained as the seven of them sat round the table in a council of war. "And that means we'll need to keep careful tabs on our "friends" in Castle Plundarr . . ."

"And how do you propose doing that?" asked Snarf, frowning slightly as he spoke. "We can't watch them 24/7 - and, besides, I've got a bad feeling about this."

Lion-O turned to face the Snarf who had been by his side for many years, first as a nursemaid and later as a loyal companion. "We all have a bad feeling about this, Snarf," he said. "And that's why we must find out what's going on around here - we'd be failing in our duties as Thundercats if we didn't solve this menace."

Whatever this particular menace is, Lion-O added silently as he turned back to the others. Ever since the Thundercats had arrived on Third Earth, a backwater planet they had never known existed until fate (in the form of a broken-down spacecraft forced them to alter their plans to settle on a planet in some other galaxy) landed them there, it seemed they had gone from one crisis to another. Mumm-Ra and the Mutants were chiefly to blame, of course, but there were plenty of other beings who held less-than-savoury motives . . .

"In any case, I agree with Tygra," he told his fellows. "From what I saw in the Sword, the Mutants have something planned and, if I know them, it won't be pleasent for us. But, until we know more, we will need to take certain precautions. And we must warn the Berbils, Warrior Maidens, Bolkins - any race allied with us - about this. Tell them to keep a careful eye out for the Mutants and let us know if they try anything."

"Kit and I can run messages on our Spaceboards," Wilykat piped up as he slid out of his seat and nodded to his sister. But, before she could follow suit, Cheetara put out a restraining hand and pressed the younger Thundercat female back down.

"You two, stay where you are," she warned as Panthro intercepted Wilykat on the way to the door. The Thunderkittens grumbled a little, muttering about being left out "just because they were kids", but resumed their seats in response to the stern look Lion-O gave them.

"Cheetara's right, you two," he said to the pair of young miscreants, adopting a tone that clearly said he would not stand for any arguments. "This ritual - or whatever it is - could be extremely dangerous and I don't want to put any Thundercat in danger. We're only concerned for your welfare . . ." He paused, recalling how Wilykit and Wilykat had been his age-mates back on Thundera, before he emerged from his Suspension Capsule as a young man but without living through the usual traumas of adolescence. Then, he continued, explaining that the Thundercats would be divided into teams to scout the countryside.

"Cheetara and Tygra, you two warn the Warrior Maidens and the Unicorn Keepers," he told his fellows. "Panthro and Wilykat, you deal with the Bolkins, Berbils and Wollos. And that leaves Wilykit, Snarf and myself to alert the Tuskas and Snowmen."

As one, the Thundercats reached across the table so that their hands formed a circle of allegience. A shadow was looming over Third Earth and, only by working together, could they banish it at least temporarily.

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Little did the Thundercats suspect that the Mutants had already obtained the third item Mumm-Ra needed, water from the River of Despair. That particular river was well named since it was home to some of the most unsavoury water creatures on Third Earth and most beings gave its waters a wide berth. No females scrubbed clothes on the stones on its banks. No children fished there in summer. No-one went close to it if at all possible . . .

But a sample of its water was required if Mumm-Ra was going to invoke the Curse of Sekh, so S-s-slythe, Monkian and Jackalman gathered on the banks, each of them keeping a wary distance from the edge. Like many of the other races who lived on Third Earth, they too normally stayed well clear of the River, not least because of the dangerous and unpredictable Black Widow Shark. Part shark and part spider, she lurked in the water ready to ambush unwary beings who encroached on her territory. And that was what the three Mutants were arguing about right now - who was going to brave the Black Widow Shark and get the water Mumm-Ra needed.

"I think this should be Jackalman'sssss job, yessssssssss?" S-s-slythe was saying as his evil reptilian eyes gazed round at his two companions.

Jackalman winced and began to back away as he realised what S-s-slythe had in mind; there was no way he was going near that River if he was paid 1000 Plundarrian dollars. "Hey! No fair!" he told the others in a voice that tried in vain to sound calm and authoritive but actually sounded like that of a whining cub. "I already stole the Wollo bracelet."

S-s-slythe's response was swift - he seized the retreating Jackalman, preventing him from retreating any further, and frogmarched him the the River's edge. "Fair?!" he hissed between clenched teeth. "Ssssssince when did Mutantssssssss care about being fair?" With his free hand, he pulled a water bottle off his belt and thrust it into Jackalman's paws. "Now, get that water - or elssssssse . . .!"

"Or else what?" Jackalman demanded petulently, although he knew full well what the answer would be. S-s-slythe was someone you crossed at your peril and you certainly didn't say "or else what?" to him unless you wanted to spend the next week in Castle Plundarr's dankest and dingiest dungeon. In fact, had anyone thought to compile a list of Third Earth's most ruthless villians, S-s-slythe and Mumm-Ra would almost certainly have featured somewhere near the top.

S-s-slythe replied in the only way he knew how - by thrusting Jackalman's face into the water and holding it there for a few seconds before letting him up for air. Jackalman coughed and spluttered, but the Reptilian Mutant ignored his obvious discomfort and made to repeat the treatment. "Inssssssssubordination issss it?!" S-s-slythe hissed as he gave Jackalman a vindictive kick. "Maybe a ducking will sssssssssort you out, coward!"

To prove his point S-s-slythe made to dunk the Jackal Mutant again, but, before he could do so, he was alerted by Monkian's voice calling from nearby. Monkian was hardly the brightest of the Mutants - in fact none of them were particularly famed for their intelligence - but he could hardly help noticing the danger his two cohorts were in. For, unseen by either S-s-slythe or Jackalman, the deadly Black Widow Shark was on the prowl, alerted by the prospect of fresh meat . . .

"Ooh ohh! Hadn't you two better get away from there?" Monkian called as his eyes tracked the swimming monstrosity that was about to ambush his unwary companions.

"Later, Monkian!" S-s-slythe snarled. "Firssst I need to teach thissssssss dog some ressssspect!"

Moments later, he forgot all about teaching anyone respect as the Black Widow Shark leapt out of the water, forcing the three Mutants to beat a somewhat undignified retreat to avoid her snapping jaws. Had they had the choice, they would have abandoned the mission and headed straight back to Castle Plundarr rather than face the Black Widow Shark a second time. But they knew full well that, if they failed Mumm-Ra in such an important mission, the results could make a meeting with the creature that lurked in this River seem like a summer picnic.

Fuming with anger, S-s-slythe seized the bottle and strode purposefully to the River's edge, determined that he would get that water this time, Black Widow Shark or no Black Widow Shark. "Musssssssst I do everything mysssssself?!" he hissed impatiently as he knelt down and dipped the bottle into the water . . .

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Cheetara and Tygra had already alerted the Warrior Maidens to the new threat from Castle Plundarr and had departed from the Treetop Kingdom, with Willa and Nayda having promised to step up their woodland patrols. All the two Thundercats had to do now was locate the Unicorn Keepers - rarely an easy task since they and the unicorns they tended ranged all over the forest - and inform them of the situation. But, as she and Tygra neared the heart of the forest, Cheetara was alerted by a sound few would want to hear - the panicked whinneying of a unicorn in distress.

Knowing that only the worst scum on Third Earth would dare hurt the peaceful and gentle unicorns, she immediately launched into the trademark of her race - Superspeed, the ability to sprint at speeds other Thunderian races could only dream of. It was an ability all purebred Cheetahs - and some half-Cheetahs as well - developed as they grew up and, while it was not designed for long-distance running, it was extremely useful if you had to get somewhere in a hurry. Such as now . . . To anyone observing, Cheetara was just a blur, a golden streak zooming through the forest, but she was keenly aware of her surroundings and was easily able to avoid trailing roots and other obstacles that might have impeded her progress.

As she reached the source of the cries, Cheetara decelerated to walking pace; Superspeed took a lot out of her and she had been warned from a young age never to push herself too far. But she no longer had any need to run, for there was Monkian holding onto a beautiful female unicorn, a graceful creature whose silvery white body seemed to shimmer in the afternoon sun. The unicorn was clearly in considerable distress and was fighting in vain against the halter her captor had placed over her head to restrain her while he did what he had to.

"Oh no you don't!" Cheetara muttered as Monkian made a grab for the unicorn's tail. Wasting no time, she whipped out her staff and twirled it expertly at arm's length before releasing it and sending it flying across the forest. Moments later, a thwack followed by a yelp of pain from Monkian told her the weapon had found its target . . .

"Good work, Cheetara!" Tygra said as he appeared on the scene just in time to see Monkian making a dash for the trees. Since he lacked her speed, he had not arrived in time to see what the Mutant had been doing, but he had heard the whinneying unicorn and knew it could only mean trouble. "Let's hope the rest of them aren't skulking nearby," he added as he peered into the undergrowth.

"I'm sure Monkian was alone," Cheetara told him. But, seconds later, it became clear that she had spoken too soon . . .

A leather thong with a pebble tied to either end came hurtling out of the bushes on the opposite end of the clearing from where the two Thundercats were. So suddenly did it appear that there was no time for either of them to grab their own weapons and knock it down in mid-flight before it reached its target. That proved to be the unicorn Monkian had trapped; she had made a break for the trees when Cheetara intervened, but, before she had reached safety, the thong tangled in her hooves and she was swiftly tripped.

Immediately, Cheetara made to go to the creature's aid, only to be stopped in her tracks by an all too familiar rasping voice. "Ssssssssstop there, Thundercatsssssssssss!" S-s-slythe hissed as the Mutants emerged from their hiding places.

-----------------------------------------

Wasting no time, all four (for Vultureman was there as well) of the Mutants gathered around the hapless unicorn and pinned her down to make absolutely sure she couldn't fight back. At the sight of this, Cheetara and Tygra drew their weapons and stood poised to battle the bullying cowards - unfortunately, S-s-slythe was ready for such a move and promptly countered by prodding the unicorn's neck with his axe. "I sssssssssaid to ssssssssstay back!" he hissed at them. "Ssssssssso do assssssssssss I ssssssssay - unlessssssssssssss you want to ssssssssssee a headlessssssssss unicorn!"

The unicorn whinneyed loudly, her eyes rolling in fright as Cheetara and Tygra looked on helplessly. Outnumbered by two to one and with the creature they were trying to help threatened with a grisly death if either of them moved to attack the Mutants, the two Thundercats could only watch as Vultureman reached towards the unicorn's tail and quickly yanked out a handful of hairs from the tuft on the tip of her tail. Then, before the Thundercats could rush them, the Mutants made their escape, disappearing swiftly into the surrounding trees . . .

Cheetara wasted no time in hurrying to the unicorn's side and setting to work on the thong round her hooves. The creature trembled visably - evidently, her recent ordeal at the hands of the Mutants was still fresh in her mind - but soon calmed down as she recognised Cheetara as a Thundercat, an ally of the unicorns and their keepers. Even so, she continued to keep a wary eye on the bushes as if expecting the Mutants to ambush her again.

"Any serious injuries?" Tygra asked at length as Cheetara checked the state of the unicorn's legs.

"Don't seem to be, but she is in shock . . . Tygra," Cheetara demanded at length, "what could possess someone to hurt a unicorn?"

"I think we both know the answer to that," Tygra said grimly. As he spoke, he stared at the bushes into which the Mutants had disappeared, his eyes narrowed as he reflected on his words. Only those whose hearts were consumed by evil would even consider such a thing . . .

Just then, a rustling in the bushes heralded the arrival of a short woman in a long light blue gown, whose pointed ears and star-shaped facial marking gave her a somewhat elfin appearance. She was one of the two unicorn keepers, beings who lived with the unicorns and dedicated their lives to protecting the gentle creatures. "Who is hurting the unicorns?" she demanded of the two Thundercats, her staff raised ready to deal with any unwelcome visitors.

"Mutants," Cheetara replied, glancing in the direction of the bushes. "They trapped one of them and took some hairs from her tail . . . The question is, why? What could they want with a unicorn's tail hair?"

"That's not all," Tygra added wearily. "We had a run-in with them at the Wollo Village earlier and the only thing they took was a bracelet belonging to a young Wollo girl. Nothing else was lost at all - they didn't even cause all that much damage . . ."

He would probably have said a lot more had the Unicorn Keeper not cut in. "Was there anything else?" she asked urgently, fixing both Thundercats with a piercing stare as she spoke. "Try to remember, both of you."

Cheetara nodded slowly. "I've been having bad feelings lately, as if something evil is going to befall Third Earth," she explained, a trouble expression etched on her face. "And Lion-O saw something in the Eye of the Sword, the Mutants and he said they seem to be planning a ceremony of some sort - we were on our way to warn you and your husband when we ran across them."

The Unicorn Keeper frowned slightly, a troubled expression etched on her serene features. "This is serious indeed," she said. "Cheetara, Tygra, the race of the Unicorn Keepers is ancient, dating back to the days when this was still First Earth. In those times, we mingled freely with humans and our unicorns even interbred with ordinary horses. Until the fateful day a human sorceror named Sekh sought to expand his knowledge to gain control over the whole world . . ."

"Sekh was powerful, according to the Legends - I believe he was among the first to contact the Ancient Spirits of Evil, long before Mumm-Ra. Anyway, he devised a spell that required the following ingredients - a Wollo bracelet, water from the River of Despair (although that was just an ordinary river then), venom from a Golden Cobra, the tail-hair of a unicorn and blood taken from a young female . . ."

--------------------------------------------

Silence held sway for several moments before Cheetara spoke up. "Unicorn Keeper?" she asked. Neither of the Unicorn Keepers had ever revealed their true names to anyone. "How do you know of all this?"

"I know because it was one of my own ancestors who defeated Sekh and banished him to the Abyss. Unfortunately, he preserved the secrets of his spell in the very fabric of his palace and, many centuries later, humans searching for clues regarding the past accidentally unleashed the evil he had wrought. It was this that turned First Earth into Second Earth, wiping out all human civilisation - only the Forgotten Races, the Wollos, Bolkins and my own people to name but three, remained."

"So now you think Mumm-Ra has learned of this spell of Sekh's?" Tygra mused, dismissing for the moment the question of what had turned Second Earth into Third Earth. Presumably, it had something to do with Sekh, but he couldn't be absolutely sure. "Are you sure this is the same spell?"

The Unicorn Keeper nodded reluctantly. For many centuries, her people had guarded their magic totally and divulged its secrets only to their own children, but their numbers had declined steadily over the centuries and, as far as she was aware, she and her husband were now the only ones left. Even so, she was loath to reveal too much to outsiders, even if they were allies, so she settled for the simple explanation. "Assuredly so - there is no other spell on Third Earth that requires both a Wollo bracelet and a unicorn's tail hair," she told the two Thundercats.

"Is there any way to stop it once it's been unleashed?" Cheetara asked next.

The Unicorn Keeper shook her head and Cheetara and Tygra knew immediately what they must do. They must get back to Cats' Lair and contact the other Thundercats so that the seven of them could work out a way of stopping Mumm-Ra before he could call down the spell.


	4. Chapter Three

**

Chapter Three

**

Cheetara and Tygra wasted no time in getting back to Cats' Lair after hearing the Unicorn Keepers' story. The moment the two Thundercats were safely inside their fortress, Tygra switched on the telescreens so they would have more chance of spotting an enemy before it could attack. Not that this was a foolproof security system - Mumm-Ra had been known to trick his way in by using his ability to disguise himself - but it had often provided the Thundercats with early warnings of attack. Next, with the screen showing no signs of movement on the plains outside (although how long that would last with what Mumm-Ra and the Mutants were planning was anybody's guess) he switched on the transmittor and prepared to contact the other Thundercats.

"Have you managed to warn everyone?" he asked, even though he did not doubt his fellows for a moment. Even so, it was a relief to him when Panthro's voice came through via the communicator installed on the Thundertank, assuring him that he and Wilykat had and were already on their way back to Cats' Lair.

"Message acknowledged, Panthro," Tygra replied. "Lion-O has your group fulfilled its part of the mission?"

"Affirmitive, Tygra," Lion-O's voice replied. "The Tuskas and the Snowmen say they'll be watching out for any signs of trouble. I only hope it'll be enough to deal with whatever Mumm-Ra's planning," he added as an afterthought.

Tygra paused when he heard the young Lord's words; what Lion-O had said was exactly what he, Tygra, was thinking. The Unicorn Keepers' tale of Sekh and the spell that could destroy all that the Thundercats and their allies sought to protect had given him and Cheetara extra cause for concern. If, as they had been told, the Curse of Sekh could not be halted once it was unleashed, their only hope was to stop Mumm-Ra before he could do so.

"Anyway, I think you'd all better get back here," Tygra told his fellows. "Cheetara and I found out something and you all need to know about it . . ."

----------------------------------------

"Who is this Sekh character anyway?" asked Wilykit once Cheetara and Tygra had finished explaining what the Unicorn Keepers had told them. The girl had never heard the name before, but there was something about it that made her shiver as if she was lying on a bed of ice. There was something in that name that seemed . . . evil, like a force that existed solely to cause death and destruction.

"Whoever he is, he sounds evil," Snarf remarked, covering his eyes with his hands and shuddering involuntarily. He seemed like a creature who didn't like fights, who would rather sit back at a safe distance and watch others do the dangerous stuff, but that didn't mean he didn't have skills of his own. And the Mutants had once made the mistake of underestimating him.

But Sekh was an unknown quantity, someone about whom the Thundercats had no information other than what Tygra and Cheetara had been told. And, as Jaga had often advised back on Thundera, it is always best to know your enemy, to know where its weak points are so you can exploit them. Mumm-Ra's weakness was his inability to stand the sight of his own reflection, the Mutants' their inability to work together without bickering among themselves. However, this Sekh character . . .

Lion-O got to his feet and paced the room. All his life, he had been warned that there would be times when, as Lord of the Thundercats, he must protect his fellows from peril and now the burden seemed to weigh even more heavily than it usually did. Something had to be done to stop Mumm-Ra from invoking the Curse of Sekh - but what? Would it be feasible to try and stop the Mutants before they could deliver the items they had been sent to collect? Or were the items already in Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, being prepared for their use in the evil ritual?

"No!" Lion-O said out loud. "We've always beaten Mumm-Ra before and we can do so again. I swear on the Code of Thundera that . . ."

He was cut off abruptly as a sudden laser blast rocked Cats' Lair, knocking Wilykat off his feet and sending Cheetara hurrying to check the telescreen. By switching to the view from the side of Cats' Lair that was nearest to Castle Plundarr and zooming in by 200%, she was able to pinpoint the source of the blasts - two Mutant Sky-cutters were flying around and shooting at the fortress as if in a bid to weaken its defences.

"Battle stations!" Tygra ordered after he had seen the attacking Mutants for himself. "We've got to stop those Sky-cutters!"

"Snarf! Don't we have enough problems without an attack on Cats' Lair?" Snarf muttered as his fellow Thundercats ran towards the Thundertank, their weapons readied in case it came to hand-to-hand combat.

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Directly outside Cats' Lair, S-s-slythe and Vultureman were lying in wait, armed with the latter's latest invention. Vultureman was forever dreaming up new gadgets for the Mutants to use in their never-ending war against the Thundercats - unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your viewpoint) they never seemed to work quite as he'd planned. There always seemed to be some flaw that the Thundercats ended up exploiting . . .

But not this time, the Vulture Mutant told himself. This invention was going to work - it had to if the last item needed for Mumm-Ra to invoke the Curse of Sekh was to be obtained. As the Thundertank drew level with the two hidden Mutants, Vultureman nodded to S-s-slythe and raised a small red cannister with a pump-action nozzle. "Masks on!" he screeched, removing a face mask that had been elongated to fit over his beak from a loop in his belt and tying it securely round his beak.

"I hope thissssssss ssssssssstuff workssssssss!" S-s-slythe snarled as he fastened on his own mask. Vultureman's only response was to raise the cannister he was holding and begin to unscrew the safety catch that prevented it from being sprayed accidentally.

"It will, S-s-slythe," he told the Reptilian Mutant, keeping a wary distance from S-s-slythe's powerful tail. "This is a very powerful sleeping gas - one breath and those Thunderfools will be in dreamland for exactly three hours. Precisely enough time to grab that little brat and get clean away . . ."

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Panthro frowned as he realised something wasn't right and a quick glance at the sky confirmed his suspicions - both Sky-cutters had disappeared from view, leaving the summer afternoon peaceful and quiet. A little _too_ quiet . . . One of the first things he had learned during his warrior training back on Thundera was that silence could be even deadlier than the roar of battle. Silence could signal an impending ambush.

"I don't like this at all," he told his fellow Thundercats. "Those Mutants flew off the second they saw us coming and that isn't their style . . ." He stood up in the Thundertank's cockpit and gripped his nunchucks tightly, testing the weight of the weapon in case any Mutants decided to show themselves.

"What's the problem," Wilykat said glibly, leaning across from the rear of the Thundertank. "If they're gone, we can get back to Cats' Lair and . . ."

"Panthro's right, Wilykat," Tygra chided, cutting the youngster off in mid-sentence. "It seems to me those Mutants lured us out here to . . ." Seconds later, he too was cut short as a sudden cloud of purple smoke wafted towards the Thundertank. The Thundercats had no time to get clear of it before it overcame them and they all slumped down in an unconscious heap . . .

Still wearing their masks in case they inhaled any of the Sleep Gas they had just unleashed, the Mutants stepped into the midst of the fallen Thundercats. As he stepped over Lion-O's prone form, S-s-slythe noticed the Sword of Omens clasped in the young Lord's hands but resisted the urge to touch the blade. The Mutants already knew they could not handle the Sword since it never responded to an evil command - besides, they had a specific purpose, to bring Wilykit to Mumm-Ra.

"Get the brat, Monkian!" S-s-slythe ordered. "We'll take her to Mumm-ra - and then the new order ssssssshall begin, yesssssssss?"

As the Mutants retreated with Wilykit slung over Monkian's shoulder, the Eye of Thundera began to hum loudly and a sharp discordant note issued forth . . .

---------------------------------

Lion-O woke to find the Sword of Omens blaring out its warning that a Thundercat was in danger. Without even thinking about it, he drew the sacred blade and held it up to his face so that the crossbars on the hilt were level with his eyes.

"Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!" he commanded. And, as the crossbars curled upwards, a scene began to unfold out of the grey mist that appeared for a few seconds before the Eye of Thundera had fully opened. The Mutants were assembled in Castle Plundarr (Jackalman had his feet planted firmly on the table) apparently in a very good mood about something; Lion-O could see S-s-slythe and Monkian drinking copiously from what looked suspiciously like flagons of wine. And something that put the Mutants in such jolly humour could only bode ill for the Thundercats . . .

Lion-O's fears were confirmed when the Sword panned across to a heavily padlocked cage which held a solitary prisoner. The person was small, either a member of a dwarf race such as the Wollos or a child. Their face was in shadow, but, when the prisoner turned round briefly, Lion-O was able to see who it was. It was Wilykit, her wrist shackled securely to the bars of the cage.

That was all it took. Not stopping to think about waiting for his fellow Thundercats to wake up, Lion-O sheathed the Sword of Omens and headed off in the direction of Castle Plundarr. He had no idea what the Mutants planned to do with Wilykit, only that it had to be something bad, possibly something connected with the Curse of Sekh. And, as Lord of the Thundercats, it was his duty to help . . .

----------------------------------------

Wilykit groaned as the effects of the Mutants' sleep gas wore off. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself in what she could only describe as a nightmare, imprisoned in a cage and chained to the bars. It took her a moment to take stock of her surroundings, but there was no mistaking that dank odour, that dark and dingy room that looked like it had never once been cleaned. She was in Castle Plundarr, the Mutants' stronghold. And S-s-slythe was coming straight towards her prison.

Her first instinct was use her free hand to grab for one of the myriad of powders she carried in pouches on her belt, but it was soon apparent that something was missing. Her pouches were no longer on her belt and, judging by the fumes issuing from Vultureman's laboratory down below, she had a pretty good idea what must have happened. The Mutants must have removed them while she was unconscious and Vultureman must have decided to use the substances they contained (substances that could set someone off sneezing, cause unbearable itching or even create monsters) in one of his experiments.

S-s-slythe was now right outside Wilykit's cage, the foul stench of his Reptilian breath wafting into her nostrils and forcing her to clap her free hand over her mouth. The Mutant leaned forward and scratched the frightened girl with his sharp claw. "Here, kitty kitty, yesssssss!" he laughed, grinning evilly at the sight of the young Thundercat cringing away from him. There were few things he enjoyed more than having someone at his mercy . . . especially if that someone happened to be a Thundercat.

"Let me out of here, you slimy lizard!" Wilykit shouted in a tone that sounded somewhat braver than she felt. She was unarmed - even her lariat had been taken from her - and imprisoned in Castle Plundarr, one of the worst situations a Thundercat could be in. But she didn't yet know the full severity of her situation, that the Mutants had captured her with the sole objective of handing her over to Mumm-Ra so she could provide the final ingredient required to call down the Curse of Sekh.

"Tsk tsk!" S-s-slythe said with mock disapproval. "Sssssuch insssssolence from a little girl! We can't have that, yessssssss?"

"What do you want of me?" Wilykit demanded, trying to suppress the tremor in her voice and wishing she had something she could use to bash S-s-slythe with. S-s-slythe responded by letting loose an evil cackling laugh and pulling out a ring of large iron keys. Wilykit stared at him cautiously - surely he, a Mutant, wasn't about to free her just like that . . .

"We're going for a ride, my little missssss!" S-s-slythe hissed evilly as he freed Wilykit from her chains and roughly hauled her out of the cage.

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Concern was growing at Cats' Lair; there were two Thundercats who had been unaccounted for since the Mutants released their sleep gas. Tygra was pacing from the telescreen to the conference table and back again, while Panthro sat with his head in his hands and Cheetara tried to massage the tension out of his shoulders. Wilykat had wanted to be alone and had retreated to the room he and Wilykit shared - right now, he sat on the floor, staring blankly at the wall, his mind filled with dread at the thought of what could have happened to his sibling. Cheetara had tried to persuade him to join the others, but he had refused.

"Any idea where they could be?" Cheetara asked at length.

"None," Tygra said, his frustration clear on his face. "And that's what worries me. Especially with what Mumm-Ra and the Mutants have planned - we need to . . ." He paused in mid-sentence as he chanced to glance at Cheetara. The Cheetah Thundercat was standing perfectly still, her eyes glowing with an odd light, and seemed totally oblivious to her surroundings.

"Tonight the final act shall begin," she said in a voice that sounded mysteriously remote, as if she was speaking from a great distance. "The Ever Living is even now preparing for his triumph and only his mortal enemies can stop him. However, he holds one of their number prisoner - for she must provide the final ingredient . . ."

Panthro and Tygra watched Cheetara with growing concern. They had seen her enter these trances before and were well aware of the effect they could have on her. Afterwards, she would often be weak and slightly disorientated for a time; consequently, even though she _could_ call forth a vision voluntarily, she never did so unless it was absolutely essential. Even so, neither Thundercat could recall seeing her in a trance quite like this . . . And what did it mean by "She must provide the final ingredient"? They knew who the "Ever Living" was, of course and "his mortal enemies" had to be themselves, the Thundercats.

Then Tygra remembered something the Unicorn Keepers had said - one of the ingredients needed to call forth the Curse of Sekh was the blood of a young girl.

"Wilykit!" he said out loud, crossing to the telescreen and staring out at the countryside surrounding Cats' Lair. It looked quiet and peaceful, with nothing to indicate that anything was amiss. But, as Jaga had reminded the Thundercats time and time again, appearences could be deceiving.

--------------------------------------------

Lion-O had arrived at Castle Plundarr to find it strangely empty. Ordinarily, any Thundercat who ventured near the place had to run the gauntlet of the Mutants, but, as he crossed the moat (dodging the monsters that lived there as he did so) he didn't see a soul. Nonetheless, he knew the folly of assuming the quiet meant no-one was home and unsheathed the Sword of Omens in preparation for any surprises that might be lurking round the corner.

"Strange," he said to himself after he had made it through three corridors without being challenged. "Someone should have seen me by now . . ."

But, as long as he remained unchallenged, he didn't have to focus on anything except finding Wilykit and getting her out. With a bit of luck, he might be able to free her on his own so that the two of them could get clear of Castle Plundarr before the Mutants came back. But, when he reached the room he had seen through the Eye, he realised it was not going to be that simple.

The cage Wilykit had been imprisoned in stood open - and empty. The chains which had bound her to the bars trailed loosely on the floor. Lion-O stooped to examine them, noting as he did so that the manacles had been unlocked. The Mutants must have taken Wilykit somewhere. But where?

The answer came to him almost immediately - Mumm-Ra's Pyramid. It wasn't the first time a Thundercat had been taken to the Pyramid, but, possibly as a result of what Mumm-Ra was currently planning, Lion-O felt a chill of foreboding. Wilykit, he knew instinctively as he raced out of Castle Plundarr, was in serious trouble - and so were all good Third Earthlings if Mumm-Ra wasn't stopped from calling down the Curse. This was more than he could handle by himself.

There was only one thing for it. With a practiced air, he pointed the Sword of Omens directly at the sky and called out the incantation that activated the Thundercat Signal.

"Thunder . . . Thunder . . . Thunder . . . THUNDERCATS HO!"

Within seconds, the Eye of Thundera opened wide and a powerful beam of light issued forth, projecting the Thundercat insignia onto the sky. Now, it was up to Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, Wilykat and Snarf to see it and come to their Lord's aid.


	5. Chapter Four

**

Chapter Four

**

Cheetara was the first to see the Signal shining like a beacon on the horizon, summoning the Thundercats to Lion-O's aid. Almost immediately, her Sixth Sense flashed a warning that this was serious, that the Thundercats would have to act fast. She turned to the others.

"Panthro, get the Thundertank!" she ordered. "I have a bad feeling about this . . ."

Panthro knew better than to question Cheetara's instincts - her Sixth Sense had provided early warning of trouble before - and, stopping only to grab his nunchucks, hurried to do as she said. As he brought the vehicle round to his companions, he gazed ruefully at the horizon, noting the direction the Signal came from - Castle Plundarr. And, if Lion-O was there, Wilykit might be as well; if she wasn't, they would have to find out where she was before it was too late.

"Get in!" he directed his companions.

Within moments, the Thundertank was rumbling its way towards Castle Plundarr with Panthro in the driving seat. Tygra sat beside him, while Cheetara, Wilykat and Snarf took up the rear seats, their nerves put on edge by the urgency of the situation. Wilykat looked across at the seat normally occupied by his sister and suppressed a shudder as he thought of what the Mutants could do to her.

"I sure hope Kit's all right," he said out loud, staring at the Cat Signal on the horizon. Like most siblings, he and Wilykit quarreled sometimes, but they were close friends all the same and neither would have wished serious harm on the other. But, he reminded himself, the Thundercats had been in trouble countless times before and had always come through it together. All seven of them . . .

"It's not just Lion-O and Wilykit we're worried about," Tygra reminded the youngster. "We still need to stop Mumm-Ra before he . . ."

"Yeah, I know - the Curse of Sekh."

"Full speed ahead!" Tygra told Panthro. In response, Panthro gunned the Thundertank's engines and did a sharp turn to avoid a fallen tree trunk. He moved so abruptly that the Thundercats in the rear of the vehicle fell off their seats and went sprawling in an awkward and undignified pile. Snarf extracted himself from under Wilykat and frowned ruefully.

"Hey! Watch it!" he muttered.

Panthro glanced over his shoulder as his three companions resumed their seats. "Sorry, Snarf," he said. But there was no time to stop for anything and even that fallen tree might prove to be one obstacle too many. Panthro frowned to himself and focussed on the way ahead; only when they reached their destination would they be able to do anything about whatever had prompted Lion-O's Signal. Indeed, Jaga had once said that the beginning of wisdom was knowing when you could or couldn't change something. And, even though Panthro's senses had been on edge all day, he knew there was little any of the five Thundercats could do at the moment except answer the ancient summons.

-----------------------------------

Shaking with fear, Wilykit was dragged towards the Black Pyramid, her wrists still manacled and a leather collar around her neck. The latter had a lead attached to it and S-s-slythe took great delight in tugging on it just to see the look of fear in the girl's eyes. She was right to be fearful, for this was the place good Third Earthlings dreaded above all others on the planet. The vast onyx walls with obelisks placed in each corner seemed to be the embodiment of evil and a shiver went down her spine as her captors led her towards the structure.

"Mighty Mumm-Ra!" S-s-slythe intoned. "We have the ingredientsssssss you require and we bring the girl who shall provide the key to . . ."

Wilykit blanked him out. She did not know what he meant by her providing a key, but, if Mumm-Ra was involved in this, it could only be bad news for her and for all the Thundercats. Should she make a break for it? A quick assessment of her situation told her not - she was weaponless, outnumbered by four to one and on the threshold of Mumm-Ra's domain. And that was one of the worst situations a Thundercat could be in . . .

Mumm-Ra's voice cut through Wilykit's thoughts. "Place her in my ante-chamber," he ordered the Mutants. "I will come for her at nightfall and then . . ." He paused to allow himself an evil cackle as he thought of all the preparations he had made that day. "Then, the New Age shall begin!" His evil laugh echoed eerily as the Pyramid opened up and Jackalman seized hold of Wilykit, removed the collar from around her neck and dragged her brutally to the opening.

"Get in there!" the Jackal Mutant spat as he gave Wilykit a vindictive shove and sent her tumbling into the Pyramid . . .

---------------------------------

Meanwhile, the Thundercats had reached Castle Plundarr to find Lion-O waiting for them, alone. He was keeping a tight grip on the Sword of Omens, even though the Signal had by now faded, and the look on his face told all of them that things were not good. Cheetara's sense that this was really serious had been all but confirmed.

"What's going on, Lion-O?" she asked as the Thundertank drew level with him and he climbed in beside Wilykat. "Where's Wilykit?"

"Not here - I've searched all over." Lion-O rested his chin on his hands as he pondered how best to deal with this situation, where he should look for the missing Thunderkitten. Wilykit and Wilykat had caused plenty of trouble in the past, sneaking out when told to stay in Cats' Lair, opening old tombs and various other childish misadventures. But they were Thundercats through and through and, as such . . . How would Jaga have handled something like this?

As if on cue, Jaga's ghostly form materialised. Visible only to Lion-O, although the other Thundercats could sense his presence, he began to offer words of advice to the young Thundercat he had trained for leadership almost from birth. As a boy on Thundera, Lion-O had admired and respected his mentor, who, although never officially Lord of the Thundercats himself, had often fulfilled certain duties which old Claudus' blindness had prevented him from fulfilling. Saying goodbye to Jaga before entering the suspension capsule had been particularly difficult since Lion-O had known it was the last time he would see the old Thundercat alive. But, even though Jaga's physical body was long dead, his spirit had lived on as Lion-O's guide.

"Time is short, my young Lord," Jaga said now. "For tonight shall be the night when Mumm-Ra performs the ritual that will bring down the Curse of Sekh."

"How do you know about that?" Lion-O asked. The Curse of Sekh was, from what he had been able to discover, a spell that had originated on Third Earth. So how had Jaga, a Thunderian who had never set foot on Third Earth in his lifetime, come to hear about it?

"Those who dwell in the Netherworld see all and know all," Jaga replied. "You must stop Mumm-Ra before he casts the spell - otherwise, all shall be lost." With that, he swept his cloak around him, as had been his habit in life, and winked out of existence. Lion-O turned to his fellow Thundercats.

"We have no time to lose," he told them. "Mumm-Ra could already be preparing for the Curse. And we still have to find Wilykit . . ." He paused and frowned as he scanned the horizon, wondering for the umpteenth time just where all this was going to lead. As Lord of the Thundercats, he had a sacred duty to fight the forces of evil no matter what the cost and it was also his duty to aid any Thunderian in danger.

"We still don't know where she is," Snarf reminded him. The small red creature shuddered involuntarily; instinct told him that Wilykit was in serious danger. "Snarf!"

"Then we'll have to find out," said Tygra, his hand gripping his whip as he spoke. He and Cheetara exchanged glances as the latter's eyes suddenly glowed with an unnatural light. "Cheetara? What is it?" But there was no need to ask - it was already obvious the Cheetah Thunderian was having another of her visions. She was lost in a trance, completely oblivious to the other Thundercats, her mind filled with images of events happening well out of physical sight.

--------------------------

She saw Mumm-Ra standing at his cauldron with S-s-slythe, Vultureman and Jackalman assembled before him. Each Mutant held one of the items they had collected to help Mumm-Ra call down the Curse; S-s-slythe held the bottle containing the water from the River of Despair, Jackalman had Dari's bracelet and Vultureman had the tail hair plucked from the unicorn Cheetara and Tygra had encountered in the forest. Mumm-Ra was still in his mummy form, his decaying hand in the act of opening another bottle, one which, judging by its resemblence to a snake, held Golden Cobra venom.

"Oh Mighty Sekh!" Mumm-Ra intoned as he poured the venom into his cauldron and watched with evil satisfaction as caustic green fumes spurted out. The Mutants kept well back, their eyes smarting as the cauldron continued to bubble and smoke, but none of them dared leave. "I, Mumm-Ra, Ever-living Source of Evil, call on you to heed my words. I have assembled the five key ingredients to bring down my enemies once and for all . . ."

With that, he stepped back a pace and began the ancient chant that transformed him into the most feared being on Third Earth. "Ancient Spirits of Evil!" he cried, raising his arms as he spoke. "Transform this decaying form to . . . Mumm-Ra the Ever-living!"

There was a sound akin to a crash of thunder and the statues surrounding the cauldron glowed as Mumm-Ra literally grew before the Mutants' eyes. He shed the bandages which encased his body as he changed from a decaying mummy to an imposing and powerful figure with piercing red eyes and the image of a black snake on a red circular background emblazoned on his chest. He looked every inch the Ever-living Source of Evil and smiled wickedly to himself as he thought of what would happen in just a few hours. The Curse of Sekh required each ingredient after the Cobra venom to be added at a set time and it was all he could do to keep himself from dumping everything into his cauldron there and then.

For now, though, he settled for giving his underlings a look of evil triumph. Tonight, he mused, tonight would be the last night those infernal Thundercats ever saw. And as for that little brat imprisoned in his pyramid awaiting her role in the ritual . . .

---------------------------------------

As abruptly as it had begun, Cheetara's vision faded. She shook her head to clear her fuzzy senses and turned to the others. "We have no time to lose," she told them. "Mumm-Ra has already added the first ingredient."

"What?! Let me at that foul mummy!" Panthro swerved the Thundertank around and turned it in the direction of the Black Pyramid. He knew venturing into Mumm-Ra's territory was risky, but there didn't seem to be much choice. Not if they wanted to stop their enemies this time . . .

Panthro had swerved so abruptly that Lion-O and Cheetara had fallen from their seats and ended up in a rather "compromising" position. Trying to maintain his composure, Lion-O disentangled himself and resumed his seat, rubbing his thigh where he had banged it against the floor of the Tank. Beside him, Snarf huddled down as if in a bid to make himself as small as possible to any lurking enemy.

"Snarf! Don't kill us!" he said out loud. He covered his eyes with his ears and wished for the umpteenth time that the Mutants and Mumm-Ra would go away and stay away.

"Easy, Snarf." Lion-O patted the Snarf reassuringly. He was about to address Panthro, asking him what on Third Earth he was doing driving like a maniac who'd had too much Thundera Red Wine, when something interupted him. A cloud had appeared in the sky - nothing unusual in itself, except for the fact that this cloud was a deep scarlet colour and seemed to be pulsing like a living thing. It would contract briefly, then expand and contract again, all the while giving out an eerie light. It was as if someone had planted a beating heart in the sky.

"If that has anything to do with Mumm-Ra . . ." Tygra started, gazing up at the unnatural cloud. Since arriving on Third Earth, he and the other Thundercats had seen such phenomena many times and, in his experience, they generally meant trouble . . .

"We're in trouble," concluded Wilykat, voicing what Tygra and all the Thundercats were thinking. If this was part of the Curse of Sekh, it was more important than ever that they stopped Mumm-Ra before he completed the ritual. Lion-O turned to look at his companions - Panthro, Tygra, Wilykat, Cheetara and Snarf, six of his fellow Thundercats. As their Lord, he had a duty to all the Thundercats, including the missing seventh member of the team. No matter what happened, they had to rescue Wilykit and stop Mumm-Ra before it was too late.

"Even so, we have no choice but to keep going," he told the others. "If we turn back now, Wilykit's finished - and so are we." He gripped the Sword of Omens and prayed for the strength he would need in the battle ahead.

--------------------------

Mumm-Ra stood before his cauldron, the carrier containing the water S-s-slythe had collected from the River of Despair in his hand. The time was drawing near. Three ingredients had already been added. All that remained was the water and the blood of a young female. He allowed himself a low cackle at the thought of the latter and slowly uncorked the water carrier. Raising it above his head for all the assembled Mutants to see, he called out to the unseen but all-powerful forces he was summoning.

"Waters of Despair, give power to my spell!" he shouted as he poured the water into the cauldron. The instant it touched the substance contained within the cauldron, great plumes of acrid smoke shot out and quickly filled the chamber. The Mutants coughed on the smoke, their eyes stinging, but did not dare leave for fear of angering Mumm-Ra. Fortunately, it only took a few seconds before things settled down again and the five evil-doers could make out their surroundings. They looked familiar enough, but there was a change in the atmosphere, a delicious feeling hanging in the air.

That feeling was triumph. Only a few short hours to wait until the Curse of Sekh was fully unleashed . . .

------------------------------

Deep in the bowels of Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, Wilykit crouched by a marble carving of some creature whose identity she didn't know - and, quick frankly, didn't want to know. She was tired, hungry and thirsty, unsure how long she had been languishing down here beyond the fact that it must be at least a few hours by now. She thought longingly of the world above - would she ever see it again? Or would Mumm-Ra, after her "role" in this ritual he was conducting, make her his prisoner for eternity?

She shuddered at the thought and tried to doze off, hoping to at least solve the problem of her tiredness. But Mumm-Ra's Pyramid was not the best place on Third Earth to take a nap (not one that wasn't brought on by some evil enchantment at least) as there was something about it that affected the sleeping mind. The instant she closed her eyes, she was beset by all the worst memories of her young life . . .

She saw herself and Wilykat as toddlers back on Thundera. They were with a young Thunderian woman whose name she didn't know but whose face was remarkably familiar - except for the fact that her nose was slightly different, her cheekbones a little higher, she was an exact copy of how Wilykit might look ten years from now. The distinctive badge on the front of her pale pink gown indicated that she was a Thundercat, but Wilykit had no time to reflect on this before Mutant craft swooped down, peppering the area with shots. The unknown Thundercat shielded the infant Thunderkittens with her body as, all around them, battle raged. Then a laser took her in the back and she fell forward . . .

With a jolt, Wilykit realised who the woman was. It was her and Wilykat's mother, Catflora, the one who had sacrificed herself to save her children. This triggered long repressed memories of how, when the battle died down and silence reigned, she and Wilykat had crawled out from under the body of their mother and looked down at her in numb disbelief. "Mama?" Wilykit called, too young to understand what had just happened. Then, when this brought no response, she called again, her child's voice echoing folornly across the battlefield. "Mama! Mama! MAMA!"

Woken by the sound of her own voice calling for her lost parent, Wilykit shivered, not as a result of cold but of fear, fear of a memory she had suppressed all her life. She pulled her knees up to her chin and prayed the other Thundercats would get here before it was too late.

------------------------------

As it so happened, the other Thundercats were already outside the Pyramid, as yet unaware that Wilykit was a prisoner inside. All they knew at the moment was that time was running out, that the Curse of Sekh was close to being fully unleashed. And, if they did not stop Mumm-Ra in time, all would be lost. Already, the cloud which had appeared in the sky earlier had expanded sufficiently to blot out the sun and leave Third Earth in an eerie twilight.

"There's no time to lose," Lion-O was saying. "We'll have to get inside . . ." Preferably without getting caught, he added silently as he scanned the Pyramid for signs of one of its many secret entrances.


	6. Chapter Five

**

Chapter Five

**

Panic prevailed on Third Earth.

From the moment the cloud appeared in the sky, the beings who dwelt on the planet (the ones allied with the Thundercats at least) knew by instinct that it was a portent of evil. And they reacted in the only ways they knew how.

Warrior Maidens began sharpening their spears in the vain hope of fighting off whatever this sinister force was.

Wollos and Bolkins crouched in ditches, some gripping their few weapons while others, mostly females, struggled to soothe frightened children.

Tuskas began saddling up their Gomplins, dragon-like creatures which the Tuskas had used as war mounts for many years.

Berbils took one look at the cloud and locked themselves into their huts.

And, in the Forest of the Unicorns, two humanoid figures with star-shaped markings on their foreheads stared up at the sky and prayed. According to the Legends, this was a sign that the Curse of Sekh was being unleashed, a sign that all would be destroyed unless the spell was thwarted. So the Unicorn Keepers prayed fervently that the Thundercats would be able to stop this evil. For Mumm-Ra knew nothing of the ancient prophecy which ran:

"And the Eternal Demon shall call forth the evil once more, but his impatience shall be his undoing." The female Unicorn Keeper was repeating the words she had been told by her mother. "And, by those means, shall the Feline Outsiders find triumph . . ." This prophecy had been handed down through word of mouth to generations of Unicorn Keepers and, while it had long been understood that the "Eternal Demon" was Mumm-Ra, only now was the meaning of the rest of the words becoming clear. Among other things, it predicted that the Thundercats would face grave danger in their quest to stop Mumm-Ra - and that was why the Unicorn Keepers prayed.

-----------------------------

The Sword of Omens gripped tightly in his hand, Lion-O addressed his fellow Thundercats. "I'll go into the Pyramid first," he told them. "Panthro, Tygra and Cheetara will be covering me . . ." He paused and rested his gaze on the two smallest members of the group. "Wilykat and Snarf, you two stay behind."

Wilykat folded his arms, a mutinous expression on his face. "Why should we have to miss all the action?" he demanded, kicking at a nearby stone and sending it flying into one of the four obelisks surrounding the main Pyramid.

"Yeah," Snarf added. "No telling what trouble you'll get into without me to . . ."

Lion-O cut him off in mid-sentence. "This isn't a game, you two. We're all that stands between Mumm-Ra and a new reign of evil. And, if I know Mumm-Ra, he won't let us beat him easily this time . . . So, if none of us have come out by sunset, I want you both to head straight back to Cats' Lair - take the Feliner and leave this planet. The Code of Thundera must be preserved at all costs." Even as Lion-O said those words, he hoped that it wouldn't come to that. A young boy and a Snarf, all that remained of the once proud Thundercats - that must never be allowed to happen.

Wilykat nodded mutely, torn between excitement at the possibility of flying the Feliner for the first time and dread at the thought of what his elders were about to do. "I'll do that, Lion-O," he promised. "For the Code of Thundera - and for Kit." But, deep inside, he wondered if he would have the courage if it came to that. Ever since he could remember, the other Thundercats had been there for him, a brave team of warriors bound together by a sacred Code. Now, there was every chance their race could become extinct, unless - and it was a big unless - there were other Thunderians in the Universe.

Wilykat tried to dismiss these thoughts from his mind and sat down on the ground, his pouches of powder ready in case he had to fend off any enemies while the other Thundercats were in the Pyramid. Snarf shook his head uneasily as Lion-O, Tygra, Panthro and Cheetara slipped into the ominous building; he never liked it when any of them (Lion-O especially) risked their lives. Maybe he should learn to stop thinking of Lion-O as the boy he had known on Thundera . . .

----------------------------

"Get the feeling we're being watched?" whispered Tygra as the four Thundercats crept cautiously through the dingy corridor lined with ancient carvings. None of them stopped to inspect these carvings, none of which would have pleased a Thunderian's aesthetic sense anyway, not with their depictions of evil and cruelty. But there was a constant sensation that the images were following them with their stone eyes, watching and waiting to unleash whatever hideous spell Mumm-Ra might have cast on them. None of the Thundercats would put that past the ancient mummy . . .

"Yes." Cheetara shivered, partly out of fear and partly as a result of the dank chill which pervaded in the Pyramid. She gripped her staff tightly and peered round the corner, checking to see if the coast was clear. "The sooner we find Wilykit, deal with Mumm-Ra and get . . ."

She was cut off abruptly as the statue nearest to her suddenly swung its great stone axe and tried to decapitate her. Her reaction was instinctive; drawing on the speed and agility of her Cheetah heritage, she extended her staff and vaulted out of the way. As she landed, she glanced back quickly and noticed with some amusement that the statue had sliced off the head of its immediate neighbour. Then her smile faded as she realised the latter's head had lifted into the air and was floating (if a lump of stone can be said to float) towards the statue it had come from. It reattached itself instantly, leaving no join, no sign that it had ever been severed.

Slowly, the statues came awake, brought to life by an ancient evil. They had no thoughts, no conscience and cared about only one thing, ridding Mumm-Ra's Pyramid of these four intruders. One of them, its stone eyes glowing with an evil light, turned on Tygra, who immediately pulled out his whip and whirled it around himself. He disappeared instantly, only to reappear seconds later on the statue's back, his eyes lit by the fire of battle. He had used his ability to make himself invisible to dodge the statue's attack and try a counter-attack at close range.

"We'll have to fight these things!" Panthro declared, whirling his nunchucks as he spoke. As a seasoned warrior, he was never happier than when he was in the midst of battle, but he hoped this wouldn't take too long. They still had to find Wilykit and get her out before Mumm-Ra did something terrible to her. Wasting time on a battle, especially one where their opponents were statues which clearly had the power to repair themselves, was probably not a good idea, but the four Thundercats could see little alternative. The statues lined the corridor as far as they could see. Still, they had to at least try to make a stand . . .

Tygra swung his whip and coiled it round the neck of the statue he was perched on. It reared up, struggling to free itself as the Thundercat on its back suddenly leapt down with his hand still on his weapon. "Watch out!" Tygra yelled to his three companions as he tugged hard on the end of his whip and pulled the statue off balance. It let out a low bellow as it went crashing to the floor, only to get straight back up and seize Tygra in its powerful stone hands.

"Tygra!" Cheetara yelled a fraction of a second too late as she realised the statue had only pretended to be losing in order to lull Tygra into a false sense of security. She hurled her staff, hoping to distract it long enough for her friend to get clear; it hit the statue with a thunk, but it treated this as you would a gnat, annoying but not dangerous. Before either Lion-O or Panthro had chance to try anything with their own weapons, the statue lifted Tygra as easily as if he had been a feather and made ready to fling him hard against the far wall.

Hitting your head against solid stone is rarely good for you. So, in the fraction of a second before the statue made its throw, Lion-O acted. He raised the Sword of Omens and pointed it in the statue's direction as he braced himself to channel the power of the Eye of Thundera. The Sword, with all its amazing powers, was often all that stood between the Thundercats and defeat, but there was no danger of hitting Tygra by mistake since it could never be used against a Thundercat. Lion-O knew this from past experience . . .

"HOOOOO!" he shouted. And a bolt of lightning shot out from the tip of the Sword, striking the statue full on and producing a shower of stars. Startled, the statue dropped Tygra and prepared to direct its wrath at Lion-O. But the Lord of the Thundercats only responded by digging his heels in tightly, bracing himself against the incoming attack. Force was exerted against force, Lion-O creating an energy shield with the Sword as the statue pounded on it relentlessly, bellowing loudly. But all it succeeded in doing was causing a violent earth tremor. Clouds of dust showered down on the Thundercats and an echoing rumble moments later told them a cave-in was imminent . . .

---------------------------

"Look out!" Tygra yelled as he pushed Cheetara to the floor seconds before a falling boulder knocked her flat. Then, a whole pile of rocks came crashing down, forcing the four Thundercats to fling themselves flat on the floor and close their eyes as they prayed for it to end soon, one way or another. To Lion-O it seemed to take forever before the rumbling died away and silenced reigned once more. He coughed, checked that he still had the Sword and sat up to check on his fellows.

Nearby, Panthro was sitting up and rubbing his head ruefully. But there was no sign of Tygra or Cheetara and, as he gazed at the statues which had toppled in the quake, Lion-O briefly feared the worst. Then he relaxed; all he had to do was use the Sword to find out what had happened to his friends. He held the Sword so its hilt was level with his eyes and said the words which activated its clairvoyant power.

"Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!" he commanded. And the crossbars on the Sword's hilt curled up as the scene on the other side of the pile of rubble began to play out. To Lion-O's relief, neither Tygra nor Cheetara seemed to be seriously hurt - at any rate, they were both conscious - and he turned to Panthro. "You get that rubble shifted - I'll go find Wilykit."

Panthro frowned. Normally, he would have had something to say about Lion-O venturing so far into Mumm-Ra's Pyramid alone, but the young Lord had done it before at the climax of his Annointment Trials. Besides, given the current situation, there didn't seem to be many alternatives. He shrugged and turned his attention to the pile of rubble, grunting with exertion as he bent to lift the nearest rock. "Good luck then, Lion-O," was all he said. He was about to add "You're gonna need it" but thought better of it.

------------------------------

Gripping the Sword of Omens tightly, Lion-O made his way silently through the dank passageways of Mumm-Ra's Pyramid. His sharp hearing was constantly on the alert for the slightest sound, the slightest indication that trouble might be lurking nearby. Which it probably was, he reminded himself; this was Mumm-Ra's stronghold and he knew the evil mummy well enough to know that he was sure to have a few "little surprises" set up for unwary enemies. The living statues were just one example of what he might have to deal with . . .

Voices coming from somewhere nearby made him pause in his tracks and he flattened himself against a nearby wall to listen to what was being said, the Sword constantly readied to attack whoever it was. Here, in the dank gloom of Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, it could only be an enemy and Lion-O's suspicions about who it was came only moments later.

"Isss it time yet, Mumm-Ra?" came S-s-slythe's sibilant voice.

"Yeah," added Jackalman. "How long's this spell supposed to take anyway?"

His curiousity piqued, Lion-O peered round the corner to find all the Mutants assembled before Mumm-Ra, who stood resplendent in his Ever-living form. The demonic creature was standing in front of his cauldron, now bubbling madly and sending up such noxious fumes that the Mutants were forced to stand further back than they usually did. However, Mumm-Ra did not seem bothered by these fumes, the result, Lion-O guessed of the forces he had unleashed while calling down the Curse of Sekh. Then, to his horror, he saw something - someone - bound and gagged by the skull-like carving which housed Mumm-Ra's stone sarcophagus.

"Wilykit!" he whispered, realising it was now or never. He had to get the young Thundercat out before Mumm-Ra did to her whatever it was he was going to do. He still did not know what that was, only that it was bound to be unpleasent. Fortunately, Mumm-Ra and the Mutants were currently too preoccupied to notice if he slipped into the chamber - or at least that was what he hoped as he crept in.

Wilykit looked up with a start when she saw Lion-O. A mix of emotions, relief that he had come for her before it was too late and fear of what would happen if the Mutants caught him, flooded through her. Anxious to catch his attention, she tried to call out to him, but the gag made her words sound more like "Mm-mm-mm! Mm-mm mmm!" Next thing she knew, Lion-O was crouching beside her and removing the cloth the Mutants had thrust into her mouth.

"Shh! Keep quiet and I'll get you out of here!" he warned her as he set to work on her bonds. The knots were so tight it seemed to take forever just to undo one and both Thundercats could feel their hearts pounding in their chests; if the Mutants caught them now . . .

As if the very thought had tempted fate, S-s-slythe was suddenly there, wresting Wilykit from Lion-O's grasp. She cried out, her eyes rolling with terror, as the Reptilian Mutant's sharp claws grasped her shoulder and dug into her flesh. Lion-O, moved by his instinctive desire to protect a fellow Thundercat, grabbed hold of the girl's ankles, determined not to let her be taken. He had not come this far just to be thwarted by - he searched his vocabulary for the right words - an over-grown lizard.

-------------------------------

"What is going on here?!" Mumm-Ra demanded as he strode imperiously over to the trio.

S-s-slythe shot him an ingratiating glance and renewed his efforts to claim Wilykit. "I caught thissss cub helping her esssscape, Mumm-Ra," he replied. "I wasssss trying to ssstop them." With that, he tugged at Wilykit so hard that Lion-O was forced to let her go. Winded, he fell backwards on the cold stone floor and lay there, panting. S-s-slythe, knowing Lion-O could not use the Sword of Omens against another Thundercat, thrust Wilykit in front of himself and glared at the young Lord, daring him to try anything. "Monkian!" he snarled. "Bind Lion-O sssssso he can't interfere any more!"

"Now," Mumm-Ra added as Monkian forced Lion-O's hands behind his back and tied them there with ropes so tight that Lion-O could feel them digging into his skin, "let us resume our ceremony. And you two shall be guests of honour!" he said to the speechless Lion-O and Wilykit. With that, he launched into his evil laugh, the sound reverberating off the stone walls. The time was drawing near. The Curse of Sekh would shortly descend upon Third Earth and there was nothing those meddling Thundercats could do to stop it. This time, he had won.

Mumm-Ra and the Mutants led the two captive Thundercats over to the cauldron, now belching out an acrid red smoke that made the eyes of every mortal in the chamber water. The substance in the cauldron boiled and bubbled like a living thing and lightning crackled around the four statues surrounding it. Watching this, Lion-O knew that Mumm-Ra must have unleashed some pretty awesome powers already. He had to think of some way to stop this before it was too late.

But what could he do? His hands were bound so using the Sword was out of the question. "Think!" he told himself. "You're the Lord of the Thundercats - you're supposed to know how to handle these things." But, no matter how hard he thought, he just couldn't think of anything that would stop Mumm-Ra and get himself and Wilykit out of the Pyramid safely. It looked as though this was the end . . .

Or was it? His hands were tied, but his legs were free. Maybe he could kick the Mutants restraining him away - and he had the use of his elbows as well. It might just work. At the very least, he had to try; what sort of Thundercat Lord would just stand there and let his greatest enemy win? None, that was the answer, none who wanted to keep his title. Lion-O knew of only one instance of a Lord of the Thundercats bailing out and failing his people. It had happened nearly a hundred years before he was born; a Thundercat named Verus had just inherited the title, but, at the first sign of trouble, he had fled to another planet and, as a result, the Mutants almost conquered Thundera.

When Verus was caught not long after, his brother - who had been acting as regent - accused him of cowardice, a serious crime against the Cod of Thundera, and had him impeached. Shortly after this, Verus was stripped of his title, his children and his children's children debarred from ever becoming Lords of the Thundercats themselves . . .

Thinking of this, Lion-O narrowed his eyes. He was not going to be like Verus. Even if this proved to be his last stand, he was going to go down fighting.


	7. Chapter Six

**

Chapter Six

**

Lion-O's muscles tensed. Maybe this was going to be his last stand, but he couldn't let Mumm-Ra get away with this. Not without at least trying to fight back . . .

Moving swiftly, he elbowed Monkian in the stomach, causing the Mutant to double over in pain. S-s-slythe snarled with unrestrained fury, outraged that Monkian had allowed Lion-O to fight back, but, then again, it was probably a mistake trusting a Monkey Mutant with an important job like guarding the Lord of the Thundercats. They were not exactly famous for their brains, S-s-slythe recalled; their average IQ was somewhere in the mid-eighties. Reptilians on the other hand . . .

"SSSSSS!" S-s-slythe hissed, clouting Monkian with his powerful tail. "Musssst I do everything mysssssself!"

In spite of everything, Lion-O managed a faint smile at the sight of the two quarrelling Mutants. S-s-slythe was hissing furiously, his eyes aglow with an evil light as he made to claw Monkian in the face for his incompetence. When the Reptilian Mutant got mad, those who knew him knew to stay well out of the way or risk finding themselves on the wrong end of either his claws or his tail. So Monkian's eyes were firmly fixed on his comrade, ever alert for his next move.

With both Mutants distracted, Lion-O took his chance. He darted over to the nearest carving and rubbed his bound hands against the rough stone, feeling the friction burning his skin as it wore through the ropes binding him and his hands came free. Then, before his enemies could stop him, he shouted out:

"Sword of Omens, come to my hand! I, Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats, command it! Come to my hand!"

In response, the Sword glowed slightly as, in response to the voice of its rightful owner, the Eye of Thundera opened. Then, the mystical blade soared through the air in an arc, drawn as if by a magnet to Lion-O's hand. The Mutants had no time to do anything except watch. The whole thing happened in just a few seconds, not enough time for them to even think of trying to stop Lion-O from catching the blade. And, even if they had tried, he would doubtless have caught it anyway.

"HOOOOOOO!" Lion-O cried, raising the Sword and sending a bolt of blue lightning in S-s-slythe's direction. The Reptilian dodged to one side, then ran at Lion-O in an attempt to trip him up with his tail. At that moment, however, a high voice rang through the chamber.

"Don't give up, Lion-O! You can beat 'em!"

Lion-O and the Mutants turned at the sound of the voice to see Wilykit sitting up on the cold stone floor. She looked exhausted and beat-up, but at least there didn't appear to be any serious harm done. And she was now egging Lion-O on, urging him not to give up the battle no matter how insurmountable the odds seemed. Lion-O flashed her a quick thumbs-up signal, before jumping out of range of S-s-slythe's tail and landing directly opposite the Mutant.

* * *

Meanwhile, Third Earth had descended into chaos. The forces Mumm-Ra had unleashed were restless, baying for innocent blood, and only one thing could stop them now. The only hope for the planet was that Lion-O would be able to stop Mumm-Ra from collecting the ingredient that gave the Curse of Sekh its full power.

And, in the sky, a sinister-looking cloud hovered, glowing with a scarlet light. It seemed to be the essence of evil made visible by Mumm-Ra's sorcery, looming over the planet, waiting for the moment when the Curse was unleashed, waiting for Mumm-Ra to complete his dreadful ritual. It was a sight no good Third Earthling could stand and, all over the planet, Wollos, Bolkins, Warrior Maidens and many others were united in prayer.

Among them were the two Unicorn Keepers. They sat with their unicorns in the deepest part of the forest, a place that had ever been touched by evil and should keep the unicorns safe - for now at least. The unicorns were restless, pawing the ground with their hooves as the female Unicorn Keeper walked among them and tried to soothe them.

"Don't be afraid," she whispered to one young filly, patting her brilliant white neck. "The Thundercats have never failed us yet . . ."

* * *

"Give it up, Lion-O!" S-s-slythe hissed. "We Mutantsss hold all the cardsssssss!"

Lion-O's only response was to raise the Sword of Omens and send a blast of energy at the Reptilian Mutant. It struck the floor at S-s-slythe's feet, causing him to recoil from the impact, before steadying himself and launching himself at Lion-O. The Lord of the Thundercats silently cursed himself for forgetting how tough a Reptilian's skin could be. But he wasn't beaten yet. He dodged out of the way and ran towards the wall - maybe he could at least take out Monkian and Jackalman.

Turning to face the wall Lion-O raised the hand on which he wore his Claw Shield. He took aim at a projecting area of stone and one of the Shield's claws shot out, revealing a length of rope artfully hidden in the finger. In an instant, Lion-O wrapped it round the stone and jumped . . . Swinging above the heads of the speechless Mutants, he looked down and called out to them in a taunting voice.

"Hey, Mutants! Bet you can't catch me!"

"Hah!" Jackalman spat. "Don't be a fool! Monkian, get him!" It was pretty much what Lion-O had expected - Jackalman had never been one to fight of his own free will - and, as Monkian made ready to jump at him, he swung clear and kicked the Monkey Mutant full in the chest. Monkian fell, winded, and stared up at Lion-O as he retracted his claw and jumped down, landing with a soft thud. The next thing the Mutant knew, he and Jackalman were being hauled up by Lion-O and held in a rather unceremonious fashion.

"Give it up, you scum!" Lion-O growled, slamming their heads together as hard as he could and dumping them on the floor. As they lay dazed, Lion-O turned his attention to S-s-slythe. This would take a little more planning as the Reptilian was very cunning and his claws and tail could do someone a serious injury . . .

"What's going on here!"

It was Mumm-Ra, who had been alerted by the noise of the battle and come striding over to investigate. The evil mummy's face bore an expression of raw fury, his red eyes blazing angrily at the sight of the Mutants facing off against the Lord of the Thundercats. Lion-O and all the Thundercats had been nothing but a nuisance to him, forever thwarting his plans to dominate Third Earth and, ultimately, the universe. Well, not for long - the Curse of Sekh was almost ready to be unleashed and then things would change. Then, those meddlesome Thundercats would be no more . . .

* * *

Lion-O stood his ground. He had faced Mumm-Ra down before and he was determined to do it again; no matter what happened, he could not let the evil demon succeed in his twisted plans. The very future of Third Earth depended on the young Lord of the Thundercats, currently all that stood between Mumm-Ra and the fulfilment of a curse that was almost too terrible to imagine.

"You can't win, Lion-O!" Mumm-Ra taunted, his evil laughter echoing off the walls of the Pyramid. Electricity crackled in his ancient fingers as he prepared to blast the Thundercat. Lion-O dodged and smiled to himself as one of the many carvings got blasted instead. Mumm-Ra remained nonchalant; the carvings in his Pyramid were imbued with an ancient magic and would repair themselves if they got broken. "I hold all the cards this time! The Thundercats . . . are finished!" And he launched once more in his sinister laugh.

"That's what you think!" Lion-O thought as he raised the Sword of Omens, intending to use it to show Mumm-Ra his hideous reflection. This trick had worked in the past and Lion-O saw no reason why it shouldn't work again.

But, before he could carry out this plan, Mumm-Ra let fly with his energy blasts, catching Lion-O in the side and knocking him to the floor. The evil mummy moved in to finish his enemy off; with the Lord of the Thundercats "removed", there would be no-one left to oppose him. And, once the Curse of Sekh had descended, Third Earth would be his for eternity. But he was so absorbed by his murderous intentions that he failed to notice Wilykit sneaking up behind him . . .

* * *

Wilykit had seen Lion-O's desperate fight and, with the impulsive courage of the young, decided she had to help him. So, with her lariat and pouches gone, she elected to sneak up on Mumm-Ra and take him on hand-to-hand. She fantasized about being the heroine of Third Earth, the one who had stopped the evil Mumm-Ra from calling forth the Curse of Sekh. But she was young and inexperienced, a pre-teenaged girl attempting to take on a being thousands of years older than her and with many deadly powers at his disposal.

Lion-O saw what she was doing and knew immediately that he had to stop her. "Wilykit! No!" he shouted. But it was too late. Wilykit had latched onto Mumm-Ra's red cloak and was attempting to pull him off his feet.

Mumm-Ra roared with sheer abandoned fury. Wilykit was too weak to make much impact against him, but she had succeeded in distracting him from what he was trying to do. And no-one stood in the way of the almighty Mumm-Ra, least of all an insolent slip of a Thundercat girl. He roared, his eyes blazing red with fury as he struggled to shake off the Thunderkitten clinging to his cloak - he would finish those feline do-gooders yet and, when he did, the fun would begin . . .

First, though, he had a ritual to complete. And, even though he knew it was not sunset yet, he was too impatient to wait. The Curse of Sekh was almost ready to descend, almost ready to unleash its evil on Third Earth. Four out of the five ingredients had already been added to his cauldron; there was only one more thing to add . . .

Before Lion-O had time to react, Mumm-Ra whipped round and grabbed Wilykit, pulling her off her feet. Then, he pointed into the air as dark energy coursed through his hand and formed into a deadly ceremonial knife, silver with a snake's head for a handle. Wilykit screamed at the sight of it; she did not know what Mumm-Ra was planning to do, but instinct told her that it was bound to be bad. "Lion-O!" she cried, closing her eyes as Mumm-Ra raised the blade over her. "Do . . ."

She was cut off abruptly as the blade cut into her arm. Blood welled up and Mumm-Ra laughed triumphantly at the sight - finally, his plans were coming to fruition. "Oh Mighty Sekh!" he chanted, swabbing the cut with a piece of cloth he had prepared especially. "I, Mumm-Ra the Everliving, have done it! The ingredients are assembled!" With that, he threw the bloodstained cloth into his cauldron and began chanting a series of evil words, words in a language so foul that all reference to it had been destroyed long ago. Or so it had been thought . . .

Lion-O and Wilykit could only look on in horror, helpless to stop Mumm-Ra as he continued to chant and the evil forces he had already unleashed grew ever stronger. They had failed. Neither wanted to believed it, but the evidence was right before their eyes. They had been unable to stop Mumm-Ra from unleashing the Curse of Sekh and, now, Third Earth was doomed. Lion-O cursed himself, wishing he had depleted Mumm-Ra's power when he had the chance, wishing he had been able to stop him.

Then, as Mumm-Ra continued to laugh evilly, a menacing voice echoed through the chamber.

"Foolish Mumm-Ra! The appointed time is not yet upon us!"

* * *

Mumm-Ra stopped in his tracks as he recognised the voice; it was coming from one of the statues surrounding his cauldron. The Ancient Spirits of Evil were speaking to him and they were not happy. "Mumm-Ra," they said, "it is not yet sunset. It is not yet time for the Curse to descend. Did you not know of the Prophecy?"

"What Prophecy? What are you talking about?" Mumm-Ra's voice had a note of impatience. He wanted the Curse of Sekh unleashed _now_; he could not afford to wait for anything, even the Ancient Spirits.

"The Prophecy runs thus," replied the Spirits. "_And the Eternal Demon shall call forth the evil once more, but his impatience shall be his undoing. And, by those means, shall the Feline Outsiders find triumph._ Mumm-Ra, you have failed! Your impatience has undone the Curse! Behold!"

Mumm-Ra looked at his cauldron. Sure enough, the forces he had unleashed had stilled so that the substance in the cauldron now looked as tranquil as a pond at sunset. Not only that, a scene was materialising, a scene showing the inhabitants of Third Earth going about their daily business as if nothing had happened. "ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" he cried, giving full vent to his fury as he realised what had happened. Those blasted Thundercats had done it again - and they hadn't even tried this time. Still, he could at least finish off Lion-O and Wilykit, so the day wouldn't be completely wasted.

As Mumm-Ra raised his hand and prepared to blast Wilykit with magical energy, Lion-O rushed in from the side, the Sword of Omens raised. "Kit, run!" Lion-O shouted. "You've got to get out of here! I'll take care of Mumm-Ra!"

"No - I'll stay with you."

"Don't argue," Lion-O told her, giving her a little push forward. But, just as Wilykit was about to do just that, she swooned suddenly and collapsed on the floor of the chamber. Lion-O forgot about Mumm-Ra for the moment and hurried over to the fallen Thunderkitten. To his relief, she was still alive, but she seemed very weak and the cut Mumm-Ra had made in her arm was beginning to ooze a greenish substance. "Mumm-Ra!" Lion-O shouted, his voice tinged with fury. "What have you done to her!"

The answer came almost at once, but not from Mumm-Ra. A shaft of white light suddenly appeared, growing larger as it took on the shape of an elderly male Thundercat - Jaga. "She has been cut with a Netherblade," he told Lion-O. "A blade with the power to turn an innocent being into a Spirit of Evil."

Lion-O looked at Wilykit and saw to his horror that she was already starting to transform; her face had taken on a distinctly Reptilian look. Was this how it was going to end? Even though the Curse of Sekh had been halted, was Wilykit still doomed? No, he thought to himself, there had to be a way . . .

"Is there anything we can do?" he asked Jaga.

The ghostly Thundercat nodded slightly. "Yes, but the evil forces here would cancel it out. So I will transport you both away from here." With that, he raised a spectral hand over Lion-O and Wilykit. Mumm-Ra snarled and tried to stop the ghostly Thundercat; unfortunately, his unsuccessful attempt to evoke the Curse of Sekh had drained his energy and he only succeeded in making his fingers crackle with electricity. Cursing loudly, he reverted to his mummy form and retreated into his stone sarcophagus to recharge - and sulk.

* * *

The next thing Lion-O knew, he was outside the Pyramid, still clasping Wilykit against his chest. She was alive, but the evil magic of Mumm-Ra's blade was fast turning her into something few of the Thundercats wanted to think about, a Spirit of Evil like those Mumm-Ra served. "Hurry, Lion-O!" Jaga urged the young Lord. "While she's still recognisible as a Thundercat . . ."

"What do I have to do?" asked Lion-O, sensing the urgency in his ghostly mentor's tone. Almost by instinct, his hand strayed in the direction of the Sword of Omens.

"The Sword, Lion-O. It can break the spell - use it quickly."

Lion-O frowned as he realised Jaga was almost certainly right; the Sword was the essence of the Thundercats, the thing that bound them together. And, while he did know several of its powers, it still had many secrets to reveal. Jaga, who had wielded the Sword before Lion-O, already knew most of those secrets and nodded approvingly as Lion-O raised the sacred blade over the fallen Thundercat.

"Sword of Omens!" Lion-O proclaimed. "I, Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats, command you! Release this child from the evil which has befallen her!" Then, as the Sword shook in his hands, he shouted out the ancient Thundercat battle cry. "Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! THUNDERCATS HO!" With each repetition of the word "thunder", the Sword glowed more and more intensely. Then, as Lion-O said the last two words of the chant which normally projected the Cat Signal into the sky, a brilliant beam of light shot out and converged on Wilykit.

Instantly, Wilykit was surrounded by a bright glow, which slowly seeped into her body as the hideous transformation which had already taken place halted and went into reverse. Her Reptilian features shrunk back and became once again those of a young female Thunderian, while the wound on her arm closed up and faded away, leaving no trace of its presence, not even a scar. Then, as the glow faded, she opened her eyes.

"Lion-O?" she asked, puzzled. The last thing she remembered was being a prisoner in Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, in fear for her life. So what had happened? How did they get out here? "W - what's going on?"

Lion-O looked at Jaga, who shook his head slowly. It was best if Wilykit never knew what she had so nearly turned into - she was just a child, after all. In the end, Lion-O sighed and helped the girl to her feet. "You're safe now and that's all that matters," he told her. "It's all over. Jaga," he added under his breath so that Wilykit couldn't hear, "what about the other Thundercats?"

"All safe," replied Jaga. "And waiting back at Cats' Lair."

With that, he wrapped his cloak around himself - and vanished.


End file.
